


First Steps In Reconciliation

by Aeshna_cyanea



Series: Forgiveness [2]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Feelings, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Maze hates doing the dishes, Trixie is awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 12:04:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18120473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna_cyanea/pseuds/Aeshna_cyanea
Summary: Trixie fullfills her part of the deal and helps Lucifer apologize to Maze.





	First Steps In Reconciliation

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second prompt fill for my LuciferBingo bingo card.  
> Prompt: I never meant to hurt you

Maze stepped up to the door of the apartment she used to share with Detective Decker and Trixie, hesitated for a second, and then rang the doorbell. Better not tip off her former roommate to the fact that she had secretly kept a copy of the keys when she moved out. They were supposed to be for emergencies only, anyway.  
   
A smile spread across her face when she heard her friend call out to her mother inside, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching the door. A second later it was flung open, and Trixie threw herself at Maze with a delighted cry.  
   
“Maze! You’re here!”  
   
The demon beamed at her best friend and quickly returned the hug.  
   
“Hey there, Trix. You said two p.m., so here I am.”  
   
“Mom’s still in the bathroom,” Trixie informed her as she ended the hug and grabbed her friend’s hand, practically dragging her inside. “But she needs to hurry, because Marcus is going to pick her up soon. They’re going on a date. He’s taking her somewhere up the coast.”  
   
Maze nodded. She already knew about Decker’s date, the woman had mentioned it during her call to confirm this babysitting arrangement. As far as the demon was concerned, the sooner the other woman left, the better. She was here to spend time with her friend. They didn’t need any interference from the girl’s mother.  
   
Still smiling happily, she let herself be led over to the couch, where she could see Trixie’s art supplies spread out across the low table. The girl had apparently been working on a new picture when she arrived. Her smile dimmed slightly as she studied the work in progress.  
   
The figures representing herself and the girl were easily recognizable, but it was the third figure Maze did not approve of. The one that was very clearly wearing a three piece suit, complete with watch chain on the waistcoat. That could only be one person, and Maze did not want to think about him right now.  
   
Thankfully, Trixie pushed that one aside to show her friend some of her finished works, where she had drawn the two of them together. Others showed the girl with school friends or with her parents. One even showed her with her mother and Pierce. Apparently, he had taken them picnicking last Sunday, and Trixie had enjoyed it. Maze wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that, but she was inclined to dislike it.  
   
They were still going through the pictures when there were footsteps on the stairs, and Decker appeared. Maze studied her former roommate. The woman was wearing jeans and some sort of faux peasant blouse with colorful embroidery around the neckline and cuffs. A backpack was slung over one shoulder, but she set it down as she put on her usual sensible shoes. Only then did she turn her attention to the two on the couch.  
   
“Oh good, you’re here Maze. Marcus is-”  
   
The sound of the doorbell cut her off. Decker opened it immediately, and greeted the person on the other side enthusiastically. Maze didn’t need to hear his voice to know it was Pierce.  
   
She kept her attention firmly on her friend, but Trixie had stopped talking about her pictures and was looking at her mother. Decker finally finished smooching her boyfriend and came back inside to pick up her backpack, collect her keys and other essentials, and put on her jacket. Pierce followed her a few steps, lurking in the doorway.  
   
“Hi, Marcus!”  
   
Trixie greeted the man with what Maze considered unnecessary enthusiasm and friendliness. She suppressed her frown, not wishing to hurt or upset her friend. It was an effort. At least the girl was making no attempt to get up and hug him. He wasn’t worth a hug.  
   
“Hello Trixie.” Pierce returned the greeting, and then briefly glanced at Maze. “Mazikeen.”  
   
His tone was carefully neutral. Maze stared him straight in the eyes and replied in kind. “Pierce.”  
   
Neither of them was willing to be the first to break eye contact. Inwardly, Maze smirked. This was almost too easy. She knew Pierce’s type, the alpha male who couldn’t stand to be challenged, who always had to win. Oh, he was trying to hide it behind false casualness and poor attempts at affability, but she could see the flickers of anger in his eyes.  
   
Something was going to interrupt their staring contest soon, either Decker - most likely - or Trix were going to demand attention. But no matter who would be forced to break their little game, they would both know that the other hadn’t really backed down. Maze was fine with that. But she knew Pierce wouldn’t be.  
   
He would be frustrated at not having won this pointless little competition. And that, for her, was the point. Knowing that this would bother him, would _keep on_ bothering him, that even if Decker eventually managed to distract him, the next time they met it would be right back in his mind… It was just too delicious to resist. The best torture was the one the victims continued to inflict on themselves.  
   
As predicted, Decker broke the impasse. She crossed their line of sight and pressed her backpack into Pierce’s hands with a perfunctory “Hold this for a moment?”, forcing him to focus on her. Then she slipped on her jacket and turned to her daughter.  
   
“Hey monkey, come here.”  
   
Trixie complied, and Decker crouched down to hug her.  
   
“Marcus and I are going now. Remember, your father is coming to pick you up at six. Make sure you’re ready. I’ve already packed your clothes and so on, but if you want to take any toys you need to pack them yourself.”  
   
“I know, mommy.”  
   
“Good. Now behave yourselves, you two.”  
   
The woman cast a significant glance at Maze. She got a smirk in response, and the demon immediately began thinking of ways to cause mischief. She hated being told to behave.  
   
Mother and daughter hugged once more.  
   
“Bye, monkey. Have a nice day!”  
   
Maze noted that she apparently did not warrant a goodbye. It didn’t surprise her. Decker was probably still miffed that she hadn’t moved back in, and the human now had to shoulder the bills on her own. Still, with the pay raise her boyfriend had gotten her, she should be able to do so.  
   
And in any case, if she had wanted Maze to come back, she should have actually said so, instead of just assuming it as a fact and then being offended when Maze made it clear that she had other plans.  
   
“Bye mommy! Bye Marcus!”  
   
The man acknowledged Trixie’s words with a nod, but didn’t return them. Another point against him, as far as Maze was concerned.  
   
Finally, the door closed behind Decker and her boyfriend, and Trixie and Maze were alone. The girl looked expectantly at her friend. Maze grinned.  
   
“So, Trix, any ideas for how we could misbehave?”  
   
“Did you bring the stuff I asked for?”  
   
“Yes. I left it in the car like you said. Want to tell me what it’s all about?” Maze raised an inquiring eyebrow. She was already harboring some definite suspicions.  
   
“Let’s go get it in first, and then I’ll tell you.”  
   
The small human was smiling her most endearingly innocent smile. And she was being evasive. Maze narrowed her eyes, her suspicions becoming stronger and more definitive by the second. Still, she followed her friend to the door and out to where she’d parked her car.  
   
The shopping list Trixie had given her had consisted of a number of foodstuffs. Not snacks or other ready to eat stuff - except for the raisins - but raw ingredients. Eggs, flour, sugar, butter, rolled oats, raisins, maple syrup, powdered cocoa, and chocolate chips. All this left only one conclusion: some sort of cooking or baking project was planned. It was not a prospect that pleased Maze.  
   
As far as she was concerned, all versions of cookery counted as forms of torture. Lesser forms, perhaps, and usually overlooked ones, but torture nonetheless. She was aware that there were humans - and non-humans - who actually enjoyed it. But then, some of them enjoyed being whipped bloody. Some people would enjoy anything.  
   
And now her one true friend showed every indication of wanting to inflict this particular form of torture on her. Maze suppressed a growl. Under normal circumstances, she would have refused point blank to even buy the stuff without a guarantee that she would in no way be asked to have anything more to do with it.  
   
But of course these were not normal circumstances. Trix had forgiven her for her hurtful words, even though Maze didn’t think she deserved forgiveness. And so she was determined to justify her friend’s trust. A few hours of moderate torture were a small price to pay.  
   
They carried everything in and put it on the kitchen counter. The girl made a show of removing the various items from the bags and setting them out in an orderly row. By the time she finished, Maze had crossed her arms over her chest and was seconds away from tapping her foot impatiently. When Trixie turned to her, grinning widely, she only raised an eyebrow.  
   
“Well?”  
   
“I’m going to teach you how to bake cookies!” The small human was bouncing on the balls of her feet, clearly excited at the prospect. “Kayleigh’s grandma taught us last week, and now I’m going to teach you!”  
   
Maze scowled. She didn’t want to spoil her friend’s fun, but she couldn’t just give in without protest. “But why? Cooking and baking is not my thing.”  
   
“Because it’s fun!”  
   
“For you, maybe.”  
   
Trixie was not that easily dissuaded. “And when you know how to make cookies, you can make them whenever you want some.”  
   
“When I want cookies, I can just buy them. Easier than baking. And faster, too.”  
   
“But what if there’s, like, a bad storm or something, and all the shops are closed? If you know how to make them yourself, you can always have cookies!”  
   
“No, because if all the shops are closed I won’t be able to get the ingredients.” Really, it was basic logic. And in Maze’s experience, it was easier to find a place that sold cookies than one that sold all the raw stuff you needed to make them.  
   
“You don’t buy the stuff you need only when you want to make cookies. You buy the stuff earlier, and keep it in your kitchen cupboards, and the fridge. Kayleigh’s grandma says you should always have flour and sugar and eggs and butter in the house, and the rest is just flavors. And it’s all stuff that keeps. So you can buy one large load, and store it, and make cookies from it several times.” Trixie crossed her arms in front of her chest, a perfect example of a ‘so there’ look on her face.  
   
Maze was not going to let this sloppy and unsound argument pass. “Ready-made cookies are stuff that keeps, too. And if you’ve got them in your kitchen cupboards, you can have cookies as soon as you want them, without having to make them first.”  
   
“But cookies you made yourself are better! They taste better, and you know exactly what’s in them, and when they’re baking it smells delicious.”  
   
“Not when I’m making them.” She could still remember the stench that one time she had tried to bake a pizza back at the penthouse. It had lingered for days despite the best efforts of their cleaning crew. Lucifer had complained about it for even longer.  
   
Once again she pushed aside all thoughts of that particular pain in the ass and focused on her friend.  
   
Trixie was rolling her eyes. “I told you, I’ll teach you. It’s really not hard. And it’ll be fun! Come on, Maze!”  
   
The first traces of disappointment and worse, hurt, were creeping into the girl’s voice. Maze gave in.  
   
“Alright. Teach me.”  
   
Her friend’s face immediately lit up again, and Maze told herself once more that this was worth it.  
   
“We’re going to make two different kinds: oatmeal raisin cookies, and chocolate chip ones.”  
   
“Why not just the chocolate ones? I don’t like oatmeal.”  
   
“Mommy likes them. And she’ll know that we have been baking something when she comes back, so if we leave her the oatmeal ones we can keep all the chocolate ones for ourselves.”  
   
“Hmm. Alright.” Maze wasn’t sure the ruse would work the way the girl thought, but she had to admit it was not a bad plan.  
   
They had just finished setting out all the equipment they would need - it took all of Maze’s willpower to stop herself from grimacing at the thought of having to wash up later - and were about to start measuring out the ingredients for the first batch when the doorbell rang.  
   
“I’ll get it!”  
   
Maze’s hands went to her daggers as she followed her friend to the door, ready to intervene if whoever was outside should turn out to be a threat. She ground her teeth when she heard Trixie call out happily.  
   
“Lucifer!”  
   
“Hello there, small human.”  
   
The familiar voice made Maze want nothing more than to whip out her demon blades and have a go at him. She barely managed to restrain herself, holding her daggers in a white-knuckled grip as she moved into position behind her friend, blocking the doorway.  
   
“What the Hell are you doing here?”  
   
Lucifer stopped his attempts to extricate himself from Trixie’s hug and met her gaze, an apprehensive yet hopeful expression on his face.  
   
“I came here to see you, actually. To apologize.” He hesitated a second, glancing from her to the girl still attached to his waist. “Perhaps I could come inside?”  
   
“No.” “Yes!”  
   
Maze stared down at her friend, feeling betrayed. Trixie looked up at her pleadingly.  
   
“Maze? Let him come inside, please?”  
   
She wanted to protest. She didn’t want Lucifer here, she didn’t want to have to see him or listen to anything he had to say. Just like he hadn’t wanted to see her and listen to her. She wanted to bar him from the apartment, to make sure he would never darken its doorway again.  
   
But she knew she couldn’t do that. This was no longer her home. It was Trixie’s, and the girl wanted him here.  
   
With a scowl, Maze stepped back into the room, allowing the other two to enter. She did not miss the way Trixie smiled at Lucifer as she took his hand and led him into the apartment. The first inklings of a nasty suspicion were forming in the back of her mind.  
   
Once they were all inside and the door was closed, the girl motioned them over to the sitting area. Maze scowled. She was not going to allow that ass to make himself comfortable.  
   
“We don’t need to sit down. Lucifer isn’t going to stay that long.” She bared her teeth at the man in a completely insincere smile. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to disturb our afternoon activities.”  
   
Trixie frowned at her, but right now Maze wasn’t willing to play nice, not even for her friend’s sake.  
   
Lucifer perked up at the mention of ‘afternoon activities’ and looked around curiously. “Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt something?”  
   
There was no real contrition in his voice. The suspicion at the back of Maze’s mind grew.  
   
“Yes.” “No.”  
   
It hurt. Maze might not have liked their planned baking lesson, but to have Trixie flat out deny that Lucifer had interrupted them was still upsetting.  
   
But the girl’s attention was firmly on the intruder. She was leading him over to the kitchen area.  
   
“I’m showing Maze how to bake cookies!”  
   
“Really? What kind are you making?”  
   
“Oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip.”  
   
“Excellent choices. Are you going to add cocoa to the dough, too, or just chocolate chips?”  
   
Maze watched and listened with a scowl as Trixie prattled on happily about recipes and ingredients, with Lucifer asking questions and making suggestions to improve the cookies. The two of them were acting all chummy, and had completely forgotten about her.  
   
“I’ll just leave you two to it then, since you’re having so much fun.”   
   
She started moving towards the living area, intending to plant herself on the couch and amuse herself with some phone game or something while she kept an eye on her friend and that stupid friend-stealing Devil. A part of her was happy about having gotten out of the baking lesson her small human friend had planned. But a much bigger part was hurt that Trixie was so happy about having Lucifer here. That ass had just barged in and was usurping what should have been a nice best-friends-only afternoon.  
   
A cry of dismay stopped her in her tracks. “No! Maze wait!”  
   
Trixie flung herself at the demon and hugged her almost desperately. Maze felt her resolve weaken. She patted the girl awkwardly until Trixie released her.  
   
The small human took a step back and cast a stern look towards Lucifer, who was still lurking by the kitchen counter.  
   
“Bad Lucifer. You shouldn’t have let me talk about cookies so much. You’re not here to talk about cookies. You’re here so you can apologize to Maze, and tell her how sorry you are for hurting her, and promise to be a good friend to her from now on.”  
   
Maze would have laughed at hearing the devil getting scolded like a naughty puppy by the small human, but Trixie’s words turned her suspicions to certainties.  
   
“You two planned this.” She stared accusingly at her friend. “You knew he was coming here to see me.”  
   
The guilty looks on their faces said all.  
   
Trixie must have realized at least something of what Maze was feeling right now - pain, betrayal, bitterness - because she hastened to explain: “Lucifer came to me and asked me for my help because he didn’t think you’d give him a chance to apologize. He’s really, really sorry for hurting you, and he has promised me he will do better from now on.”  
   
“He’s only sorry now because your mom turned him down and chose Pierce instead. So now he wants me back, because he thinks I will put up with his bullshit.”  
   
She smiled grimly when the small human frowned at Lucifer.  
   
“Is that true?”  
   
“No!”  
   
“Bullshit.” Maze snorted, returning Lucifer’s irritated look with a defiant glare.  
   
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Alright. I admit that I wanted the Detective to choose me, and it hurt when she chose that supercilious ass instead. But-”  
   
“Marcus is not an ass. He’s nice”, Trixie protested. She gave Lucifer a hard look. “Mommy loves him, and he makes her happy. You aren’t going to mess that up for her, are you?”  
   
Maze watched with amused interest as the Devil stared at the child for several long seconds, mouth opening and closing again without any sound coming out. She hadn’t liked her small friend’s ringing approval for Pierce, but seeing her put the former King of Hell on the spot like this was highly entertaining.  
   
In the end, Lucifer’s shoulders slumped. “No. I think she’s making a big mistake, but I’m not going to mess it up for her.”  
   
“Right. You’re just going to spend every day, every minute hoping that she will come to her senses, see the error of her ways, and dump him in favor of you.”  
   
Trixie looked back and forth between them with a frown while Lucifer gaped at Maze. Part of her - the cynical, weary, done with it all part - expected him to latch on to the possibility of Decker coming to regret her choice. For once, he managed to surprise her.  
   
“That would be no use. I’m not what she wants.” If possible, he slumped even further. “The Detective wants stability, reliability. She wants someone who will always want only her, who will be happy with monogamy, and staying home practically every night, and maybe having another kid or two. The perfect little family, with a nice little house in the suburbs, complete with white picket fence. And that’s not me. I couldn’t live like that. Maybe for a few weeks, for the novelty of it, but not long term.”  
   
Maze’s eyebrows rose. Since when was Lucifer so… sensible. Self-aware. Realistic in his estimation of Decker’s expectations for a relationship.  
   
He must have noticed her surprise, because he shrugged and gave a sad, self-deprecating smile. It came out as more of a grimace.  
   
“I overheard the Detective talking with Miss Lopez last week. Accidentally!” He added defensively, glaring at the smirking demon.  
   
Perhaps it was a good thing that Trixie chose that moment to speak. “You’re in love with mommy, aren’t you?”  
   
Lucifer froze and stared at her for a second before casting an anxious glance at Maze.  
   
She rolled her eyes. “Yes he is.”  
   
The girl briefly looked up at her before turning her attention back on the Devil, looking for confirmation. He shifted uneasily on his feet, trying to avoid her gaze.  
   
“I do have feelings for the Detective, yes.”  
   
“But mommy is in love with Marcus, and he loves her. They’re happy together.”  
   
Lucifer sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. It was beginning to curl wildly.  
   
“Yes. I know.”  
   
Trixie nodded solemnly. “And you promise that you won’t mess it up for them?”  
   
He grimaced, but nodded. “Yes, I promise.”  
   
The girl nodded again. “Good.”  
   
Silence fell for a brief moment before she spoke again. “And because you can’t have mommy, you now want Maze back?”  
   
Maze scoffed. “Yes he does.”  
   
“No!”  
   
Lucifer wilted under the combined glares his protest received, and tried to explain. “I do want you back, Maze, but not because the Detective chose someone else.”  
   
“Are you in love with Maze, too?”  
   
The demon almost laughed out loud at the horrified look on Lucifer’s face when Trixie’s question penetrated his mind.  
   
“Aah… erhmm…”  
   
Watching him flail while the girl was staring at him expectantly was amusing, but the subject matter itself was not. Maze decided to stop this before it dragged on any longer.  
   
“No he isn’t.” “I don’t know.”  
   
They had spoken at exactly the same moment.  
   
Maze glared at Lucifer, her whole stance radiating disbelief and disapproval. He met her gaze, a sort of desperate determination filling his eyes.  
   
“I don’t know what to call my feelings for you, Maze, but I do have feelings for you.”  
   
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. “Look, if you’re asking whether I feel the same for you as for the Detective, then the answer is no. My feelings for you are different, because you’re a different person and our relationship is different. But different doesn’t mean less.” He shrugged helplessly. “All this feelings stuff is still so new and weird to me, half the time I have no idea what I’m feeling. But I do have feelings for you.”  
   
Another sigh, another frustrated gesture.  
   
“I need you, Mazikeen. And I want you by my side. I can’t imagine a life without you. And of course I find you very attractive. Actually, physically and sexually, I find you more attractive than the Detective.” He cast a quick, anxious glance at Trixie. “Erh, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell your mother that.”  
   
The girl rolled her eyes. “I won’t. I’m not stupid.”  
   
“Good, good.” Lucifer turned his attention back to Maze. “Look, I know I treated you badly, Maze, and I’m really sorry for that. I promise you, I will do better from now on. I never meant to hurt you, Mazikeen.”  
   
“I wish you had.”  
   
“What?” There were almost identical confused looks on the faces of her friend and the former Lord of Hell, though Trixie’s expression also held a healthy dose of doubt in Maze’s sanity.  
   
The demon scowled. “At least if you had deliberately set out to hurt me, you’d have been considering my feelings. But you just didn’t care. My feelings never mattered. You didn’t waste a single thought on how your actions might affect me.”  
   
“That’s-”  
   
“Don’t you _dare_ say that’s not true.”  
   
They locked eyes for a second, then Lucifer nodded and looked away, conceding the point.  
   
“Alright, you’re right. I was so caught up in my own issues, I didn’t think of how what I did would affect you. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you!”  
   
“Oh right. You care, but only when you aren’t busy with something else. Something more important. Or _someone_. You care only when it’s _convenient_.” Maze sneered. Why were they discussing this again? She had told him weeks ago that he never put her first, and she wasn’t going to put up with that anymore. Nothing had changed, and she certainly wasn’t changing her mind about it.  
   
“No, that’s not… Look, Maze, I know my actions so far have made it look like you aren’t important to me. That’s not true, and it was wrong of me to treat you like that. And I know it’s taken me a bloody long time to realize that, and circumstances are making it look like it’s because of the Detective, but that is not the case. And I know I haven’t done anything to deserve another chance, but I promise that I will change.”  
   
He held out a hand beseechingly. “Please, Mazikeen. You are the only one who ever liked and accepted me the way I am, and never tried to change me. You have no idea how much that means to me. How much _you_ mean to me. Please give me a chance to show you. I don’t want to be the kind of man who hurts his best friend out of self-centeredness. I want to be better than that. I want to be the kind of man who is worthy of having a friend like you. I swear, by my father’s name, I will change. From now on, I will give you the attention and consideration you deserve. I will put you first. Just give me a chance to prove it to you.”  
   
Maze looked away, refusing to meet his hopeful gaze. She was not going to fall for his honeyed words again.  
   
“Please, Maze. Give him a chance. I want us all to be friends. Please?”  
   
She turned to find Trixie looking up at her with big, pleading eyes. The unspoken ‘like I gave you a chance’ hung heavily between them. Maze wanted to protest that the situation between her and Lucifer was different, that he didn’t deserve another chance. What he had done to her was worse than a few callous words spoken in anger.  
   
And perhaps that was true, but did it mean that the pain she’d caused was somehow less? Could she honestly claim that Lucifer had hurt her worse than she had hurt her small human friend?  
   
No, she didn’t think she could say that. But Trixie had given her another chance after that, even though she hadn’t really deserved one either. And her friend liked Lucifer and wanted them all to be friends together. If Maze refused to give him another chance, that would hurt the girl, too.  
   
And so far Lucifer had not done anything to hurt the small human. If he ever did, Maze would find a way to end him. But until then…  
   
“Alright.” Maze held up a hand. “I am _not_ forgiving you yet. But I’m going to give you a chance to prove that you’re really changing your behavior. If you do, maybe, in time, I will forgive you. But if you ever ignore me again because your obsession du jour is more important, I am going to kick your ass.”  
   
“No.”  
   
Maze stared at her friend, shocked and confused by Trixie’s veto. The girl met her gaze solemnly, and then turned towards Lucifer.  
   
“If you hurt Maze again, _I’m_ going to kick your ass first for hurting my friend.” She turned back to the demon and grinned up at her. “And then you can kick his ass until you feel better. Deal?”  
   
Maze didn’t hesitate. This one deal she was perfectly happy to make. “Deal.”  
   
Trixie held out her hand, and Maze shook it. Once the handshake was done, she held out her own hand, palm down, fingers curled loosely. “Knuckles.”  
   
Grinning happily, her friend bumped her knuckles and they went through the motions of their own special handshake. Then they both turned their attention back to Lucifer.  
   
Maze had expected him to voice some protest about their plans to kick his ass if he should mess things up again, but he was only staring at them, an unreadable expression on his face. Their gazes met, and he swallowed hard.  
   
“Deal.”  
   
Lucifer held out his hand. After a moment, Trixie stepped forward and shook it solemnly. Then she looked expectantly at Maze.  
   
Rolling her eyes, the demon took the Devil’s hand and shook it. He smiled softly at her. “Thank you, Mazikeen. Thank you for giving me another chance.”  
   
“Don’t make me regret it.”  
   
“I won’t, I promise.”  
   
The three of them stood in silence for a moment, and then Trixie spoke again: “Lucifer?”  
   
“Yes, small human?”  
   
“I like you the way you are, too. And I don’t want to change you.” She paused for an instant, and then added, “except when you’re hurting Maze. But that’s something you should want to change yourself.”  
   
“I do.” Once again a soft smile spread across his face. “And thank you, Beatrice, for accepting me the way I am. And for helping me apologize to Maze. We’re both very lucky to have such a good friend like you.”  
   
He grimaced as the girl flung herself at him, hugging him fiercely.  
   
“I just want us all to be friends together.”  
   
“I know. I want that, too. And I know Maze is glad to be friends with you. Perhaps you can show me how to be a good friend to Maze, so she’ll want to be friends with me, too.”  
   
Trixie released her hold on him and looked up at Lucifer solemnly. “I can do that.” She turned and grinned up at Maze. “I’m gonna teach Lucifer how to be a really good friend, so we can have lots of fun together.”  
   
The demon gave her friend a polite smile, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but she didn’t like this. Trixie was her best friend, not Lucifer’s. She didn’t want to have to share all their time together with this friend-hogging Devil.  
   
Perhaps Trixie noticed her lack of enthusiasm, or perhaps she simply had an instinctive knowledge of her friend’s feelings. Whatever it was, she gave Maze a reassuring pat on the arm and looked up at her earnestly.  
   
“Don’t worry, you’re still my best friend, and we’ll still spend lots of girls only time together.”  
   
“I wasn’t worried”, Maze protested, suppressing a sigh of relief.  
   
She got almost identical looks of polite disbelief from the girl and the man. Lucifer, at least, backed down immediately when she glared at him. He took a step back and gave them a forced cheerful smile.  
   
“I’d better be going then. I don’t want to interrupt your afternoon activities any longer.”  
   
Before Maze could make any comment that would send him on his way, her friend foiled her yet again.  
   
“Why don’t you stay? You can help us make the cookies!”  
   
The demon scowled when she saw Lucifer perk up at that suggestion, before he glanced anxiously in her direction.  
   
“Well, if you think-”  
   
“I thought this was supposed to be about you teaching me how to make cookies?” Maze protested, cutting him off.  
   
Trixie turned to her, still smiling happily.  
   
“It is. And I’m going to teach you. But Lucifer can help.” A mischievous twinkle appeared in the girl’s eyes. “He can do the dishes!”  
   
Now that was an interesting suggestion. Maze’s eyebrows rose. Perhaps giving the Devil yet another chance did have some upsides after all.  
   
Lucifer, however, did not seem to appreciate this particular suggestion. “What?!”  
   
Trixie frowned at him. “You can help us by doing the dishes. Maze hates having to do that.”  
   
“Well, I don’t particularly like it either!”  
   
“But if you do them, Maze won’t have to, so you’ll be doing something nice for her”, Trixie explained patiently.  
   
“Oh, you mean I’ll be doing her a favor?”  
   
Maze opened her mouth to protest that she didn’t want any favors from him, but her small human friend beat her to it.  
   
“No!” Trixie was glaring at the Devil, arms crossed in front of her chest. “A favor means you expect something in return. You expect the other person to pay you back for it. That’s not how friendship works. Friendship means you do nice things for your friend without expecting them to do anything for you in return. You do it because you know it will make them happy, or make things easier for them. And you want them to be happy. Even if it means sometimes doing stuff that you don’t really want to do. And okay, if they’re a good friend, then they will do stuff for you, too. But it’s not about that. Friends don’t keep score.”  
   
She paused a moment, and stared hard at him. “You want to be a good friend to Maze, don’t you?”  
   
Lucifer hesitated only a split second, and then he nodded.  
   
“Then you need to show her that you care for her. And that means doing nice things for her, even if they’re things you don’t really like doing.” She threw a quick look at the demon. “Just like Maze is letting me teach her how to make cookies, even though she doesn’t like cooking and baking.”  
   
Maze smiled wryly. The small human was right there.  
   
Trixie grinned up at her. “But don’t worry, it’s going to be fun, you’ll see!” She grabbed her friend’s hand and then looked back at Lucifer. “So, are you going to stay and help us?”  
   
Lucifer smiled and nodded.  
   
“Yes.” He cast an anxious glance at Maze. “That is, if it’s alright with you?”  
   
She shrugged. “Are you going to take care of the dishes?”  
   
“Yes.”  
   
Maze nodded. “Then you can stay.”  
   
“Great! Come on, let’s make some cookies!”  
   
With her free hand, Trixie reached out and grabbed Lucifer, then proceeded to pull her two friends towards the kitchen, happy that her plan had worked and she was now going to spend the afternoon having fun with her two best friends.  
  
Maze cast a quick, warning look at Lucifer as she let herself be dragged to the torture chamber. She almost laughed when she saw the expression on the Devil’s face. He was clearly wondering what the Hell he had gotten himself into, and whether it was worth it.   
  
For herself, Maze knew it was. Because Trixie was right, she wanted her friend to be happy, and for that she was willing to endure much more than just an afternoon of baking lessons. Their friendship was worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where I'm going with this series, but I do have an idea for at least one more part. As usual, I can't say when I will have something to post yet.


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